Kurt Zuhlke has seen a lot in his nearly 45 years in the produce business. He has been around long enough to see some trends, not always good ones, come back into vogue for various reasons that often deal with money.

His job as president and CEO of Kurt Zuhlke & Associates, a Bangor, Pa.-based company that produces 44 different packaging molds, is to give retailers the options they want and need to keep consumers coming back into their stores for their produce needs.

The Hunts Point Produce Market is the biggest produce market in the country, and if only the sale of fruits and vegetables is taken into consideration, the largest in the world.

The towering skyscrapers and busy streets of Manhattan and the other four boroughs of New York City are a world away from the more than 36,000 farms — over 98 percent of them family-owned — that operate throughout the state of New York, generating more than $6 billion in annual income and employing close to 60,000 people.

Visitors to booth No. 402 at the New York Produce Show and Conference had the opportunity to meet with the team from Turek Farms, as representatives from the company catch up with some of its current customers and introduce themselves to potential new clients. It’s an important event for the company for many reasons, including the fact that it takes place in the biggest city on the East Coast.

The New York Apple Association is celebrating the fall by reminding consumers that apple pie made with freshly picked apples are the new go to pie for Thanksgiving this year. 

To add to that excitement, NYAA is offering consumers a chance to win an Apple Pie Kit, which will include a bright red Emile Henry ceramic ruffled pie dish, ApplesfromNY rolling pin, apple slicer and a gift box of New York apples. 

Nutrition is an important part of the New York Apple Association’s message about apples. Kelly Springer, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the organization, is reaching out to consumers through television and social media to spread the word that New York apples are a healthy and delicious snack.